Speakeasy

Being in college, I’m always bombarded with advice about the next transition of life: finding a full-time job. The most popular advice I hear is, “Just do what you love, and the money will come.” I know this might come as a shock to some, but figuring out what I’d love for a career can be a #struggle when I’m 21 years old and have absolutely no clue what I love to do.

With this alarming thought in mind, I decided to be proactive about the matter by searching for a summer internship. I was hesitant at first, because internships don’t always have the best rap. Most of my friends spend their internships washing their bosses’ fancy cars and retrieving Starbucks for those in need at the office.

Ten weeks ago, I had no clue what my major in communication looked like in the “real world.” Luckily, Trevelino/Keller quickly changed all that for me. When researching, I couldn’t believe that T/K is a digital marketing firm, PR firm, and has a creative team. Basically, I found a company that is the jack of all trades.

When I met with Dean Trevelino, one of the agency principals, he explained to me that their agency was unlike most because of its wide variety of clients. Not only does T/K work with lots of different industries – including food, technology, and healthcare – but its teams are amazing at juggling the different industries too. So, at the beginning of the summer, I updated my wardrobe with work clothes and started my 8-5 adult job.

I remember the first staff meeting I sat in on at T/K, when I felt like everyone was speaking a different language. I had no idea about how to pitch to media or write a press release, and looking back only 10 short weeks later, that seems crazy to me.

Trevelino/Keller has gone above and beyond in tailoring the internship experience to my interests. I have learned what public relations tasks look like daily. I have become educated on the significance of digital marketing, how to write social media content for clients, and how to plan events. I sat in on client conference calls, shared my ideas about strategic pitching, and pitched to media outlets myself.

T/K has been patient with me when I had no idea what I was doing, has taught me the importance of hard work, and has never treated me like I am “less than” because I am an intern. I had weekly meetings with a co-worker to make sure that I was completing a checklist of new skills to add to my resume. There have been challenges and setbacks, but every time I didn’t do something correctly, I was shown grace.

The experience has been everything I could have asked for and more. As I leave T/K and head back to school, I feel fortunate that I worked in an agency while adding an entirely new list of skills under my belt.